Iraqi Artists Are Back on the World Stage

A Pervasive Leader

Photograph courtesy Jamal Penjweny, RUYA Foundation    

A butcher poses between animal carcasses as part of Jamal Penjweny's 2010 series "Saddam Is Here." "When you kill the dictator, it doesn't mean you can erase him from the minds of the people," Penjweny told Al Arabiya. "He is inside the people; his culture is still within Iraq." Penjweny traveled across the country to find his subjects: men and women, young and old, butchers, dentists, street vendors. Some were afraid to hold the picture of Hussein—particularly Shiites and Kurds, groups Hussein had targeted during his rule. (Read a photographer's account of sneaking into Iraq.)

Published June 6, 2013

Living in a Cardboard House

Photograph courtesy Yaseen Wami and Hashim Taeeh, RUYA Foundation    

Cardboard furnishings are a specialty of WAMI, a collaboration between artists Yaseen Wami and Hashim Taeeh. This untitled piece contrasts with the typical Iraqi furniture style, which favors ornate decorations in vibrant hues.

Taeeh turned to cardboard out of necessity in the 1990s. The UN had imposed sanctions on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait, and other mediums soon became too costly for him. "It is also a fragile material, like our fragile life," Taeeh told the Guardian. "Our democracy is very fragile."

Published June 6, 2013

A Marshy Paradise, Lost

Photograph courtesy Bassim Al-Shaker, Al-Nakhla Gallery/RUYA Foundation    

In his works, Bassim Al-Shaker uses traditional oil painting techniques to show a way of life that has been forever altered. The subject of "Basket Weaver" practices his ancient craft in Iraq's southern marshlands. The scene belies the modern reality of an area Saddam Hussein's government laid to waste beginning in 1991. In retaliation for the Marsh Arabs' participation in an uprising against the government, Hussein had canals and dams built to dry out the marshes, destroying the lifestyle of the communities that lived there. Once drained to just 10 percent of their original size, the marshlands are now being reflooded and restored by environmental groups.

Published June 6, 2013

Chaos on a Canvas

Photograph courtesy Kadhim Nwir, RUYA Foundation    

Stenciled numbers, drawings, and swaths of color compete for space in this untitled 2011 piece by abstract artist Kadhim Nwir. Nwir brings together daily events on his canvases, sometimes in a manner that makes sense only to him.

Published June 6, 2013

Objective Art

Photograph courtesy Cheeman Ismaeel, RUYA Foundation    

A TV and oil heater form the basis for some of the works on show by Cheeman Ismaeel. Ismaeel decorates objects from her own house with bright colors and floral patterns, turning commonplace items into art.

When British curator Jonathan Watkins visited Iraq to assemble the roster for the Venice Biennale, he found artists largely disconnected from the international arena. "There are no curators to ring up when you get to Baghdad and say, 'Please tell me how the scene is in Basra,'" Watkins told British outlet Channel 4 News. "You're more or less going from one artist to another and dealing with very raw material."

Published June 6, 2013

Between the Lines

Photograph courtesy Abdul Raheem Yassir, RUYA Foundation    

In this cartoon by Abdul Raheem Yassir, inexperienced policemen seem to not notice the large gun being brandished by the man they're searching. Yassir's career as an artist and caricaturist began in the 1970s, but was interrupted when he was drafted into the army a decade later. Today he is known as one of Iraq's most prominent political cartoonists.

Published June 6, 2013

The Writing on the Wall

Photograph courtesy RUYA Foundation    

Blast walls, designed to minimize damage from explosions, are a common sight in Iraq. Here, an anonymous artist connected the concrete slabs with a mural of the southern marshlands.

Published June 6, 2013

See Next: Ancient Artifacts Returned to Iraq

Photograph by Karim Kadim, AP

Published June 6, 2013